The place of cities on the global stage
Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo will co-chair the Urban 20 (U20) 2024 forum, highlighting Brasil's leadership in the G20. The forum will discuss the role of cities. This cycle, under Brasil's presidency, highlights urban issues on a global scale and promotes dialogue between cities and G20 leaders
The world's population is becoming more urban. By 2050, 68% of the world's population, or 6.6 billion people, will live in cities. The majority of this growth will occur in cities in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), 65% of the 169 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be met without the participation of sub-national governments, including cities.
Urban 20 (U20) is an Engagement Group within the Social G20, bringing together 38 cities from G20 countries to propose solutions, inform, and influence discussions on the subject. In 2024, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo aim to prioritize sustainable development, social inclusion, and urban finance.
One of the main objectives of the 2024 cycle is to guarantee direct investment and access to public and private finance so that cities, especially in the Global South, can promote a just energy transition, adaptation and improvement of urban infrastructures. This economic agenda includes the reform of multilateral development banks, the creation of new financial instruments for cities and the guarantee of fiscal systems that decentralize the implementation of public policies in cities.
"Rio and São Paulo bring together institutions that think about and produce Brasil's development and we will indicate ways to expand public and private financing for sustainable urban development," says Rio de Janeiro's mayor, Eduardo Paes. "The aim is to attract mayors around a productive agenda. We want to influence the G20 heads of state during the Rio Summit," he concludes.
Agenda aligned with sustainability
The 2024 U20 cycle has a number of events planned, beginning with the virtual U20 Sherpas Meeting in March. The SP Summit, a face-to-face meeting in May and June, and the Rio Summit, which precedes the G20 Heads of State Summit in November, are scheduled. The meetings allow mayors and Sherpas to discuss global urban issues and contribute to the G20 agenda.
"The global context is now more challenging than ever and cities and national leaders need to work together to find solutions and discuss global economic, climate and development issues," emphasized the mayor of São Paulo, Ricardo Nunes. "The U20 is one of those mechanisms that facilitates local and national discussions," he stressed.
Since its inception in 2017, the U20 has been led by the C40 networks, a group of major world cities dedicated to discussing and combating climate change, and the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), which is always led by a city with a rotating presidency.
"Next year in particular, Brasil - as host of COP30 - will have a key role to play in ensuring that the world is on track to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement," said Mark Watts, executive director of C40 Cities. "By working with mayors and investing in cities, G20 leaders can catalyze stronger and faster national climate action", he added.
The 2024 U20 cycle represents a commitment to the role of cities in building a fairer, more sustainable and humane world. "Cities are centers of prosperity, but also of care, diversity, creativity and community building, acting as guardians of rights for all through the provision of local public services," concludes Emilia Saiz, UCLG Secretary General.